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Children With Special Needs

A bibliography for children with disabilities and their families

Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Fiction

Metzger, Lois. Ellen's Case (1995)
A woman is attracted to the lawyer for her brother's CP malpractice case.
Bryant, Bonnie. Saddle Sore (1997)
How a girl with CP who horseback rides helps a ranch become handicap accessible.
Wanous, Suzanne. Sara's Secret (1995)
A sister learns how to deal with her brother's disability.

Nonfiction

Pincus, Dion. Everything You Need to Know about Cerebral Palsy (2000)
Gray, Susan H. Living with Cerebral Palsy (2003)
Facts, causes, research.
Heelan, Jamee Riggio. Rolling along: the story of Taylor and his wheelchair (2000)
Boy with CP who is confined to a wheelchair
Carter, Alden R. Stretching ourselves: Kids with Cerebral Palsy (2000)
The lives of three children with different degrees of CP.
Geralis, Elaine (editor). Children with cerebral palsy: a parent's guide (1998)

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Down Syndrome (DS)

Fiction

Fleming, Virginia. Be Good to Eddie Lee (1993)
Picture book on friendship with DS child.
Carter, Alden R. Big Brother Dustin (1997)
DS boy prepares for new sibling.
Christopher, Matt. Fighting Tackle (1995)
Football player with a DS brother.
Dodds, Bill. My Sister Annie (1993)
Boy with a DS older sister.
Fox, Paula. Radiance Descending (1997)
Novel of a jealous older brother whose sibling has DS.
Testa, Maria. "Thumb's Up, Rico!" (1994)
Boy with DS.

Nonfiction

Girnis, Margaret. ABC for You and Me (2000)
ABC picture book of DS kids doing various activities.
Bowman-Kruhmm Mary. Everything You Need to Know about Down syndrome (2000)
Causes, research, and attitudes.
Kumin, Libby. Communication skills in children with Down syndrome: a guide for parents (1994)
Traces the development of these skills in DS children.

Autism (AU)

Fiction

Thompson, Mary. Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (1996)
Friendship of a girl and an autistic boy
Ogaz, Nancy. Buster and the Amazing Daisy (2002)
An AU girl and her pet rabbit.
Rodowsky, Colby. Clay (2003)
An AU boy with a divorced mom and sister.

Nonfiction

Baldwin, Carol. Autism (2003)
Causes, research, behavior, and symptoms.
Wing, Lorna. The autistic spectrum: a parents' guide to understanding and helping your child (2001)
Describes an autistic world, the behavior it creates and hope to work with it.
Paradiz, Valerie. Elijah's cup : a family's journey into the culture and community of high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome (2002)
A mother's story of her autistic child.

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Learning Disabilities

Fiction

Philbrick, Rodman. The Mighty (1993)
The friendship between a genius with braces and a giant with LD. Sound recording available, too.
Cutler, Jane. Spaceman (1997)
Boy with LD in a special ed. Classroom.
McNamee, Graham. Sparks (2002)
Boy with LD in school. Gavalda, Anna.
95 Pounds of Hope (2003)
A boy with LD struggles in school but is supported by his grandfather.
Winkler, Henry. Day of the Iguana (2003)
A boy with LD struggles in school and his sister's iguana makes things worse.

Nonfiction

Senisi, Ellen B. Just Kids: visiting a class for children with special needs (1998)
2nd grade girl visits a special ed. class.
Dwyer, Kathleen M. What do you mean, I have a learning disability? (1991)
Describes LD and what can be done to overcome them.
Robertson, Debra E.J. Portraying Persons with Disabilities: an annotated bibliography of fiction for children and teenagers (1992)
Reference book
Hutchins, Penny. Learning disabilities: the ultimate teen guide (2003)
Tools for learning and creating an educational plan for high school and college.
Turkington, Carol and Harris, J. Understanding learning disabilities : the sourcebook for causes, disorders, and treatments (2003)
Current info on topics.

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Speech Disorders

Fiction

Lester, Helen. Hooway for Wodney Wat (1999)
Boy with SD in school.
Hulme, Joy N. Through the Open Door (2000)
Girl with SD in 1910.
Dahl, Roald. The Vicar of Nibbleswicke (1992)
A vicar with LD.
Mack, Tracy. Birdland (2003)
14 year old NYC boy works on a school project.
Learns, Laurie. Ben Has Something to Say: a story about stuttering (2000)
Boy who stutters faces his fear of speaking to help a dog.
Seidler, Tor. The Silent Spillbills (2003)
13 year old girl who stutters fights to save wetland birds.

Nonfiction

Fraser, Jane and Perkins,W. Do You Stutter: a guide for teens (1997)
 
Ainsworth, Stanley H. If Your Child Stutters: a guide for parents (2000)
 
Conture, Edward. Stuttering and Your Child: questions and answers (1999)

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Visual Disabilities

Fiction

Geoghegan, Adrienne. Dogs don't wear glasses (1996)
A dog is fitted for eyeglasses by mistake.
Savitz, Harriet. A girl's best friend (1995)
Blind girl and her seeing eye dog.
Yolen, Jane. The seeing stick (1997)
An old man teaches the emperor's blind daughter to see.
McKinlay, Penny. Bumposaurus (2003)
Why does a little brontosaurus keep falling and bumping into things?
Brinson, Cynthia L. Seeing Sugar (2003)
A fourth grader discovers why she must give up her front-row seat in class to another student.

Nonfiction

Silverstein, Alvin and Virginia. Can you see the chalkboard? (2001)
Description, functions, problems, and care of the human eye.
Goldstein, Margaret J. Eyeglasses (1997)
History and development of eyeglasses and the vision problems they can correct.
Scott, Eileen and Jan, J. etal. Can't your child see? : a guide for parents of visually impaired children (1985)
 
Holbrook, M. Cay. Children with visual impairments: a parents' guide (1996)
 
Alexander, Sally Hobart. Do you remember the color blue? : and other questions kids ask about blindness (2000)
Children question an author who lost her vision at a young age.

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Deafness / Sign Language

Fiction

Peterson, Jeanne W. I have a sister, my sister is deaf (1977)
A young girl describes how her deaf sister experiences life.
Richardson, Bill. After Hamelin (2000)
The story of the little girl left behind after the Pied Piper leads away the children of Hamelin.
Moss, Marissa. Amelia lends a hand (2001)
Amelia makes friends with a deaf boy who moves in next door over the summer.
McElfresh, Lynn E. Can you feel the thunder? (1999)
A teen struggles with mixed feelings about his deaf and blind sister.
Matlin, Marlee. Deaf child crossing (2002)
The friendship of two girls-one hearing and one not, and their camp experience.
Millman, Isaac. Moses goes to school (2000)
The first day of school at his special school for the deaf and hard of hearing, where sign language is used.

Nonfiction

Weston, Denise C. Kid-friendly parenting with deaf and hard of hearing children (1995)
 
Marschark, Marc. Raising and educating a deaf child (1997)
 
Frazier-Maiwald, Virginia. Keys to raising a deaf child (1999)
 
Barron's series. Tucker, Bonnie P. Cochlear implants : a handbook (1998)
 
Rankin, Laura. The handmade counting book (1998)
Shows how to count using American Sign Language.
Kramer, Jackie and Ovadia, T. You can learn sign language! More than 300 words in pictures (1999)

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Touretts Syndrome

Fiction

Byalick, Marcia. Quit it (2002)
A 6th grader diagnosed with a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable tics must cope with the embarrassment and strain of various reactions from family, friends, and strangers.

Nonfiction

Moe, Barbara. Coping with Tourette Syndrome and tic disorders (2000)
Causes, manifestations, and ways to cope with Tourette syndrome and other related tic disorders in children and adolescents.
Haerle, Tracy. Children with Tourette syndrome : a parents' guide (1992)

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Asperger Syndrome

Fiction

Eden, Alexandra. To Oz and back : a Bones & the Duchess mystery (2002)
A former police officer teams up with a clever 12 year old with Asperger's syndrome, to try to solve the mystery of two missing girls.

Nonfiction

Bashe, Patricia R. and Kirby, B. The oasis guide to Asperger syndrome : advice, support, insights, and inspiration (2001)
For parents of victims.
Myles, Brenda S. and Southwick, J. Asperger syndrome and difficult moments: practical solutions for tantrums, rage and meltdown (1999)

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ADD/ADHD

Fiction

Little, Jean. Birdie for now (2002)
Dickon hopes to make friends in his new home and school and have a dog.

Nonfiction

Taylor, John F. Helping your ADD child : hundreds of practical solutions for parents and teachers of ADD children and teens (2001)
Weiss, Lynn. Give your ADD teen a chance : a guide for parents of teenagers with attention deficit disorder (1996)

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Bipolar Disorder

Nonfiction

Lederman, Judith. The ups and downs of raising a Bi-Polar child: A parents guide to survival (2003)

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